Congregation Melrose B'nai Israel Emanu-El in Cheltenham has two signs out front. One says the 51-year-old building is up for sale. The other reads: "We're moving." The leadership wants to send the message: "We're not closing." At its annual meeting in May, the congregation that calls it-self "The Little Shul With a Big Heart" approved renting space at Reform Congregation...

MASEI, Numbers 33:1-36:13 Masei, the final portion in the book of Numbers, opens by recounting the itinerary of the Israelites in an increasingly repetitive rhythm: "They set out from Elim and encamped by the Sea of Reeds. They set out from the Sea of Reeds and encamped in the wilderness of Sin. They set out from the wilderness of Sin...

When William Jaird Levitt first established Levittown, Pa., in the 1950s, he set aside land to house schools, churches and synagogues. More than five decades later, the only remaining Jewish house of worship in the planned community is poised to close its doors. Temple Shalom recently signed an agreement of sale with Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a nonprofit organization...

Once a month for the last 53 years, Elkins Park resident Jerry Older joined fellow members of the Judaic Lodge to share a meal, play a round of poker and discuss which charities to support. Like so many other Jewish organizations, however, lodge membership ranks thinned dramatically over the years. Trustees began anticipating the end about 15 years ago, said...

The visitor center at Beth Sholom Synagogue in Elkins Park is looking for a few volunteers with the right stuff. The Beth Sholom Preservation Foundation needs docents to lead groups on tours of the only synagogue designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. In 2007, the structure, meant to evoke Mount Sinai, was named a National Historic Landmark. In 2009,...